Habersham County, Georgia
Habersham County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,041. The county seat is Clarkesville. The county was created on December 15, 1818, and named for Colonel Joseph Habersham. Habersham County comprises the Cornelia, GA Micropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. The county includes part of Chattahoochee National Forest. The highest point in the county is a knob less than southeast of the top of Tray Mountain, the seventh-highest mountain in Georgia. Habersham shares this portion of Tray Mountain, just 30 vertical feet shy of the peak's 4,430-foot summit, with White County to the west and Towns County to the north. 2.4 miles to the northeast of Tray Mountain is Young Lick (elevation ). The Appalachian Trail runs along the top of the high ridge between Young Lick and Tray, a part of the Blue Ridge Mountain crest. Habersham is mostly located in the Upper Chattahoochee River sub-basin of the ACF River Basin (Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin), with the northeastern corner of the county located in the Tugaloo River sub-basin in the larger Savannah River basin, and the southeastern portion located in the Broad River sub-basin of the same Savannah River basin. The Chattahoochee River rises in what used to be Habersham county, as portrayed in Sidney Lanier's poem "Song of the Chattahoochee": :Out of the hills of Habersham, :Down the valleys of Hall, :I hurry amain to reach the plain, :Run the rapid and leap the fall, :Split at the rock and together again. The county, originally comprising much of Northeast Georgia, was cut up dramatically in the latter half of the 19th century and the first years of the 20th Century. In 1857, its most western part was added to Lumpkin County, which had been created in 1832. That same year, the area east of Lumpkin and west of present-day Habersham became White County. In 1859, Banks County was carved from Habersham's southern-most territory. Finally, in 1905, Stephens County was formed from parts of Habersham and Banks. Major highways * U.S. Route 23 * U.S. Route 123 * U.S. Route 441 * U.S. Route 441 Business (west of Toccoa) * State Route 15 * State Route 15 Connector * State Route 15 Loop * State Route 17 * State Route 17 Alternate * State Route 105 * State Route 115 * State Route 197 * State Route 197 Connector * State Route 255 * State Route 255 Alternate * State Route 356 * State Route 365 * State Route 384 * State Route 385 Adjacent counties *Rabun County - north *Oconee County, South Carolina - east *Stephens County - east *Banks County - south *Hall County - southwest *White County - west *Towns County - northwest Demographics |align-fn=center |footnote=U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} 2000 census As of the census of 2000, there were 35,902 people, 13,259 households, and 9,851 families residing in the county. The population density was 129 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 14,634 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile (20/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.88% White, 4.48% Black or African American, 1.89% Asian, 0.29% Native American, 0.10% Pacific Islander, 2.99% from other races, and 1.36% from two or more races. 7.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 13,259 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.90% were married couples living together, 9.30% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.70% were non-families. 22.40% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out with 23.50% under the age of 18, 11.10% from 18 to 24, 28.50% from 25 to 44, 23.10% from 45 to 64, and 13.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 105.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $36,321, and the median income for a family was $42,235. Males had a median income of $28,803 versus $23,046 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,706. About 8.80% of families and 12.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.40% of those under age 18 and 15.00% of those age 65 or over. 2010 census As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 43,041 people, 15,472 households, and 11,307 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 18,146 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 85.7% white, 3.4% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.5% American Indian, 0.2% Pacific islander, 6.3% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 12.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 15.6% were English, 13.9% were Irish, 13.7% were American, and 9.9% were German. Of the 15,472 households, 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.8% were married couples living together, 10.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.9% were non-families, and 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 38.6 years. The median income for a household in the county was $40,192 and the median income for a family was $49,182. Males had a median income of $35,974 versus $27,971 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,286. About 15.7% of families and 19.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 31.2% of those under age 18 and 12.5% of those age 65 or over. Politics As of 2012, the county is split into 14 voting precincts:Habersham delays consolidation of voting precincts, a June 19, 2012 article by Rob Moore from AccessNorthGa.com. *North: Batesville, Cool Springs, Fair Play, Deep Creek, Glade Creek, Fork, Falling Water, Clarkesville *South: Demorest, Center Hill, Cornelia, View, Mud Creek and Baldwin Victor Anderson serves as Chairman of the Board of County Commissioners as of January. 2017. Since 2011, Habersham County has been represented in the Georgia House of Representatives by Republican member Terry Rogers. Habersham County was represented in the US House of Representatives as part of the 10th District. Representative Charlie Norwood represented the county for one month, until his death (February 13, 2007). The seat remained vacant until a special election in July 2007 which was won by Republican Athens physician Paul Broun. Broun served in the House until 2014, when he ran unsuccessfully for the Republican nomination for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the retiring Saxby Chambliss. With the 2012 reapportionment, Habersham County became part of the 9th congressional district. Former Georgia House of Representatives member Doug Collins won the seat in 2016 election. Prison The Georgia Department of Corrections operates the Arrendale State Prison in an unincorporated area in the county, near Alto."Arrendale State Prison." Georgia Department of Corrections. Retrieved on November 15, 2010. "ADDRESS: 2023 GAINESVILLE HWY SOUTH POST OFFICE BOX 709 ALTO, GA 30510." Lee Arrendale State Prison was built in 1926 and the prison was named after Lee Arrendale, former Chairman of the Georgia Board of Corrections after he and his wife were killed in a plane crash. It began its existence as a TB Hospital and operated till the mid-1950s when it was turned over to the Georgia Prison system. Once acquired by the Georgia Department of Corrections, its focus then turned to using the prison to house youthful offenders from ages 18–25. Over a short amount of time, the influx of young, reckless and ruthless inmates lead Lee Arrendale to gain a bad reputation as the second most violent all-men prisons in the state. In 2005, however the Department of Corrections decided to make the prison an exclusive general purpose women's prison. As a result of the prison's past troubles and reputation for violence, the state decided to make this change to improve the prisons status in the state. In March 2006, the prison took in 350 women prisoners from Georgia's overflowing jail system to start this process. Lee Arrendale is also home to the United States' first all-female fire department and the state's first inmate fire department, thanks to the Georgia Department of Corrections' (GDC) Fire Services Division. The GDC operates many fire departments throughout the state, staffed solely by inmates, who are supervised by GDC employees who are also trained, not only as a certified officers but also as a professional firefighter. The inmate firefighter program provides fire protection to the largely rural communities without local or volunteer fire departments near the prisons, as well as to other locations in Georgia during emergencies. Inmates are trained and certified in accordance with Georgia law and the Georgia Firefighter Standards and Training Council, as with any regular fire department. In 2007, inmate fire squads responded to the wildfires in South Georgia near Waycross, Georgia, in addition to the hundreds of other alarms they received statewide. Communities Cities *Alto *Baldwin *Clarkesville *Cornelia *Demorest *Mount Airy *Tallulah Falls Census-designated place *Raoul Other unincorporated communities *Batesville *Habersham Mills *Hollywood *Turnerville See also *Blair Line *Piedmont College *National Register of Historic Places listings in Habersham County, Georgia References External links * Chamber of Commerce web site from local Chamber of Commerce * Habersham County web site from Roadside Georgia * Habersham County website * Habersham County historical marker * Habersham Iron Works Manufacturing Company historical marker Category:Counties of Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Habersham County, Georgia Category:1818 establishments in Georgia (U.S. state) Category:Settlements established in 1818 Category:Counties of Appalachia